Duleep Trophy final: Ankit, Siddarth's resilience headlines Day 4
What's the story
Fighting knocks from Ankit Sharma and C Andre Siddarth saved South Zone from an innings defeat in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone. They added 192 runs for the seventh wicket to frustrate Rajat Patidar's men. However, a shocking collapse meant the team's second innings ended on Day 4. CZONE are set to taste the glory as they need to accomplish a paltry 64-run target to win the game on Day 5.
Match turnaround
Ankit, Siddarth's partnership leads South Zone to a remarkable comeback
With Central Zone leading by 362 runs in the first innings, South Zone found themselves in a precarious position at 222/6 on Day 3 morning. However, Ankit's partnership with Siddarth changed everything. Their 192-run stand not only put South Zone ahead but also took them past the 400-run mark. Notably, SZONE were 129/2 at the start of the day. Smaran Ravichandran (67) and Ricky Bhui (45) took them to 200/3 before a mini collapse hit them.
Impact
Spinners dented SZONE's hopes
Decently placed at 414/6 in the final half and hour of the day, SZONE looked set to earn a lead of over 100 runs. However, Kumar Kartikeya dismissed the well-set Ankit for 99 to initiate a collapse. Saransh Jain also joined the party as the team was all out for 426, losing their final four wickets for just 12 runs. Siddarth remained stranded at 84.
Smaran
Smaran Ravichandran slams 67
Smaran smoked seven fours and a six en route to his 118-ball 67. Across eight First-Class matches, the youngster has completed 584 runs at an average of 60-plus, as per ESPNcricinfo. He slammed his third 50-plus scores, as his first two were converted into tons. The left-handed batter also has a double-hundred in red-ball cricket.
Ankit
Ankit misses out on a ton
Ankit's 99 came off 168 balls (13 fours, 1 six). The southpaw missed out on his second First-Class hundred as he now owns 13 fifties. Playing his 69th game, he has completed 2,277 runs, averaging around 30. With his left-arm spin, Ankit claimed 4/180 from 44.1 overs in the second innings. This was his seventh FC four-fer as he boasts 172 wickets at 39-plus.
Siddarth
Siddarth scores 84* for SZONE
Siddarth returned unbeaten on 84 off 190 balls as he hammered seven fours during his stay. This was his sixth 50-plus score in FC cricket as he now owns 708 runs from nine games at an average of 68-plus. He also has a hundred in the format.
Bowlers
Four-fer for Kartikeya
Kartikeya, who claimed 4/53 on Day 1 of the game, dismissed four batters in his second outing as well. His figures in the second innings read 4/110 from 39 overs. The spinner has now accounted for 176 wickets from 39 red-ball games at an average of around 22. The 2025 Duleep Trophy final marked his career's ninth four-wicket haul. He also owns nine fifers.
Saransh
Three more wickets for Saransh
Saransh, who claimed a fifer in the first innings before scoring 69 in the second, continued his golden run in the game. He finished with 3/130 from 42 overs in the third innings. Saransh now has 148 FC wickets at an average of under 30. The one in the ongoing summit clash was his ninth five-wicket haul in red-ball cricket. Meanwhile, pacers Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen took one wicket each.